William Seaward
Encyclopedia
William Vincent Seaward is a director and actor. Co-founder and director of The Strolling Theatricals
, a theatre company based in the United Kingdom
.
to two barrister
s, Martin and Siobhan Seaward, he is the eldest of 4 siblings. He attended Francesca Cabrini Primary School until 1993, then Margerate Roper Primary School until his secondary education at selective catholic establishment, The John Fisher School
, where he quickly developed an aptitude for the dramatic arts. He continued there for Sixth Form, achieving good grades and narrowly missing out on becoming Head Boy. After taking a gap year to teach English in South America
, he went on in 2005 to study a joint degree, English literature
and History of Art
at the University of York
. After a year attempting to break in to professional London Theatre, he returned to academia by beginning post-graduate study in Social Anthropology
at Robinson College, Cambridge
in 2009, where he made a series of big splashes in the world of Cambridge Drama. This stretched to writing and directing Silent Cannonfire - billed as 'the world's first ever silent pirate play' - which played to success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe after a sell-out run at the ADC Theatre
. He also directed the 2010 Footlights
Pantomime, The Pied Piper.
Within PantSoc (the University of York's Pantomime Society) he directed and performed in Peter Pan...tomime, a student pantomime which satirised reality television
. The show was a widespread success, attracting record audiences for the society, and with Will giving "the performance of the evening." Will also appeared in other pantomimes within PantSoc, including "Cinderella
", "Robbin' Hood", "Aladdin
" and even returning after his degree to help "Jack and the Beanstalk
" which he co-wrote with Timothy Pearson and Nicola Carter.
in 2006, a small drama company to take shows to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It was with this company that William developed his signature Bouncy Castle Experiment, where he edited and performed Shakespeare pieces entirely on a bouncy castle, usually for comic effect. The concept reportedly formed while in Argentina
, when Seaward was considering how to stage Waiting for Godot
while at a children's party. It proved to be a difficult venue in which to present a Shakespearean play, with difficulties arising from the use of wooden swords, and entrances by the actors proved to be problematic - as Seaward described the problem, "When people enter, the actors already on stage tend to fall over". Nevertheless, he directed Bouncy Castle Hamlet
and Bouncy Castle Macbeth
in 2006 and 2007 respectively, receiving mixed, but predominantly positive reviews from critics. Bouncy Castle Macbeth was listed among the top 100 best acts to see in Edinburgh. They recently appeared on Britain's Got Talent
however, they were not well received.
In summer 2008 Will acted and starred in another Bouncy Castle Experiment production, Bouncy Castle Dracula
, which was not particularly well received by reviewers.
, due to his size and stage presence both physically and vocally. He is also famed for making notoriously bad pun
s, usually involving mistranslating English words and phrases to a foreign language. A typical example would be:
The Strolling Theatricals
The Strolling Theatricals is a British theatre company, located primarily in York.-Company history:The Strolling Theatricals was founded in 2005 by brothers John and William Seaward. William, who was enjoying his gap-year in South America, suggested to his brother that they should take a...
, a theatre company based in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Early life
Born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to two barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
s, Martin and Siobhan Seaward, he is the eldest of 4 siblings. He attended Francesca Cabrini Primary School until 1993, then Margerate Roper Primary School until his secondary education at selective catholic establishment, The John Fisher School
The John Fisher School
The John Fisher Old Boys Association is an exclusive members club for past pupils and teachers of The John Fisher School in Purley, Surrey.Membership of the Association is available to all former pupils of the John Fisher School and those members and former members of the School Staff who are...
, where he quickly developed an aptitude for the dramatic arts. He continued there for Sixth Form, achieving good grades and narrowly missing out on becoming Head Boy. After taking a gap year to teach English in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, he went on in 2005 to study a joint degree, English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
and History of Art
History of art
The History of art refers to visual art which may be defined as any activity or product made by humans in a visual form for aesthetical or communicative purposes, expressing ideas, emotions or, in general, a worldview...
at the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
. After a year attempting to break in to professional London Theatre, he returned to academia by beginning post-graduate study in Social Anthropology
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
at Robinson College, Cambridge
Robinson College, Cambridge
Robinson College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.Robinson is the newest of the Cambridge colleges, and is unique in being the only one to have been intended, from its inception, for both undergraduate and graduate students of either sex.- History :The college was founded...
in 2009, where he made a series of big splashes in the world of Cambridge Drama. This stretched to writing and directing Silent Cannonfire - billed as 'the world's first ever silent pirate play' - which played to success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe after a sell-out run at the ADC Theatre
ADC Theatre
The ADC Theatre is a theatre in Cambridge, England and also a department of the University of Cambridge. It is located in Park Street, north off Jesus Lane. The theatre is owned by the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club , but is currently run as the smallest department of the university,...
. He also directed the 2010 Footlights
Footlights
Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, founded in 1883 and run by the students of Cambridge University....
Pantomime, The Pied Piper.
Career
A "bona fide campus legend" he used the university setting to quickly become a prominent figure in the university's societies based in the arts.Within PantSoc (the University of York's Pantomime Society) he directed and performed in Peter Pan...tomime, a student pantomime which satirised reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
. The show was a widespread success, attracting record audiences for the society, and with Will giving "the performance of the evening." Will also appeared in other pantomimes within PantSoc, including "Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
", "Robbin' Hood", "Aladdin
Aladdin
Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
" and even returning after his degree to help "Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk is a folktale said by English historian Francis Palgrave to be an oral legend that arrived in England with the Vikings. The tale is closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-killer. It is known under a number of versions...
" which he co-wrote with Timothy Pearson and Nicola Carter.
The Strolling Theatricals
William co-founded the Strolling TheatricalsThe Strolling Theatricals
The Strolling Theatricals is a British theatre company, located primarily in York.-Company history:The Strolling Theatricals was founded in 2005 by brothers John and William Seaward. William, who was enjoying his gap-year in South America, suggested to his brother that they should take a...
in 2006, a small drama company to take shows to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It was with this company that William developed his signature Bouncy Castle Experiment, where he edited and performed Shakespeare pieces entirely on a bouncy castle, usually for comic effect. The concept reportedly formed while in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, when Seaward was considering how to stage Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
while at a children's party. It proved to be a difficult venue in which to present a Shakespearean play, with difficulties arising from the use of wooden swords, and entrances by the actors proved to be problematic - as Seaward described the problem, "When people enter, the actors already on stage tend to fall over". Nevertheless, he directed Bouncy Castle Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
and Bouncy Castle Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
in 2006 and 2007 respectively, receiving mixed, but predominantly positive reviews from critics. Bouncy Castle Macbeth was listed among the top 100 best acts to see in Edinburgh. They recently appeared on Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
however, they were not well received.
In summer 2008 Will acted and starred in another Bouncy Castle Experiment production, Bouncy Castle Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
, which was not particularly well received by reviewers.
The Stealth Fantasmic
In 2009 William began performing a comedy show entitled Ballad of the Skull Fairy, as part of a comedy duo called The Stealth Fantasmic with friend Marc Vestey.Acting style
William has been compared to Brian BlessedBrian Blessed
Brian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
, due to his size and stage presence both physically and vocally. He is also famed for making notoriously bad pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s, usually involving mistranslating English words and phrases to a foreign language. A typical example would be:
Control? Why that's Spanish for 'with a troll!'